Dear readers,

The rapid spread of the coronavirus has disrupted American life like few other events in history.

An invisible invader is making people ill, prompting events to be canceled and is stripping store shelves of certain supplies.

The last few weeks have been full of uncertainty and maybe fear for many of you in the Fort Dodge region. We wanted today to provide you with an update on how The Messenger has been covering the crisis. We also want to tell you about the resources we have made available so you and your loved ones can remain up-to-date and prepared.

A large portion of our staff is now working from home, with only a small number of employees at the newspaper’s office in downtown Fort Dodge. But our reporters are still out and about, bringing the latest and most important local news to you each day.

Just as you are with your families, we are assessing each day how best we can keep our employees safe and healthy so that they can continue to bring you the latest local news on how COVID-19 is affecting and altering our way of life.

We’ve devoted nearly all of our reporting resources to coverage of the coronavirus. For example, in the last week we have published at least 20 unique local stories on how the virus is impacting our region, plus just as many news briefs on the subject. That’s just one week of coverage, and it was in addition to all of our other work to keep you informed on things like actions of the Webster County Board of Supervisors.

In the last month, our coverage has shown how volunteers have been making masks for medical professionals. It has shown how communities have banded together in displays of support that included parades and artwork posted in windows. And we have brought you information on how the pandemic has affected local businesses, schools and churches. We will be bringing you a lot more of those kinds of stories.

In the pages of The Messenger and on the newspaper’s website and social media platforms, you will find the facts that you need to know about the situation in the Fort Dodge area. Those facts will come from experts from agencies like the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Webster County Public Health Department and UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center. Also, you will find information from leaders of Fort Dodge, Webster County, the Fort Dodge Community School District and Iowa Central Community College.

A special section on the newspaper’s website provides a continually updated listing of events that have been canceled or postponed because of the virus pandemic. Also, a link on the website will take readers to the virus information provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We ask that you and your loved ones stay safe as we collectively go through this challenging time. We will do our part to keep you as up-to-date as possible with local news from a staff that you can trust. Local news matters, now more than ever, and we work each day, in all that we do, to remain your trusted news source.

The Messenger has been a trusted source of news and information for more than 160 years. It will remain a trusted source throughout the coronavirus pandemic.